Recreation roundup

Forget the worms, makeshift rods and hours of simply watching the water ripple.

Brian Ellison, 12, of Ellicott City is a bit more sophisticated when it comes to fishing.

At the recent B.A.S.S. Expo in Timonium, Ellison took a giant step toward becoming the best angler on the pier.

The Patapsco Middle School student scored 120 of a possible 150 for first prize in the B.A.S.S., Rubbermaid Maryland State Bass Federation Flip, Pitch and Cast Championships.

In beating six competitors in the 11-14 age group, Ellison won new fishing equipment, a medallion, a plaque and all-expenses paid trips for himself and his family to Pine Bluff, Ark., for the national B.A.S.S. championships in April.

"I really didn't know [if I could do it] because of all the kids that were there," said Ellison. "I was a little nervous, but I just went up there and did it."

The competition had three events: flipping from 10 feet, pitching from 20 feet and casting from 30 feet, in which competitors tried to land their bass lures on the center of a 3-foot bull's-eye, with points awarded based on accuracy.

Ellison, a member of Junior Quick Release B.A.S.S. Masters in Lansdowne, said he's practicing for the coming national competition, in which he'll have a chance to advance to further competition and win scholarship money.

He said that his school allows him to practice after classes on the cafeteria floor but that it's just not the same as the real thing.